Home / Office

warning: Creating default object from empty value in /home/ecodaddyo/public_html/modules/taxonomy/taxonomy.pages.inc on line 33.

Tour des Jardins et les Coops

Submitted by TimJFowler on Tue, 2012/07/31 - 10:47am
in
Garden & Coop Tour 2012 - Fancy Chickens

This Sunday I took the Home Grown New Mexico Kitchen Garden & Coop Tour. Since I took the tour by bike I decided to call it the Tour des Jardins et les Coops. The tour was an easy loop of less than 20 miles and great way to spend a morning in Santa Fe. I was very impressed by the garden landscapes created by these generous and welcoming Santa Feans. I learned quite a bit from the gardens and I've been inspired to continue expanding our little garden.

Why I Garden #27

Submitted by TimJFowler on Thu, 2012/07/19 - 11:13am
in
Firewheel - Gaillardia pulchella

Firewheel, a.k.a. Blanket Flower, is a short-lived perennial or flowering plant native to most of the United States including the Southwest. This example has spread from the original one we planted a few years ago. This Gaillardia has only needed occasional watering to provide summer blooms.

More Info:

Wikipedia - Gaillardia pulchella

Just in Time Rain Barrels

Submitted by TimJFowler on Fri, 2012/07/06 - 10:39am
in
Rainbarrel Daisy chain

Just in Time Production is a popular manufacturing strategy with the MBA crowd. It's also a popular strategy for the procrastinators among us. At the Santa Fe Master Gardener's Fair this spring I saw a simple demonstration of how to build an inexpensive (Woo Hoo!) rainbarrel.

Why I Garden #26

Submitted by TimJFowler on Tue, 2012/06/26 - 2:07pm
in
Thyme in bloom

One of the first things I did after moving in to our house over 10 years ago was plant a small bed of culinary herbs by the front door. Some of these perennial herbs have thrived, while others didn't. Two thyme plants have survived in this planter and grown bigger after some of their competition was frozen two winters ago. These small and subtle herbs bloomed with small and subtle white flowers this spring.

Why I Garden #25

Submitted by TimJFowler on Fri, 2012/06/15 - 1:07pm
in
Sulphurflower Buckwheat in bloom

Here's another small but hardy perennial native growing in our front yard. You won't find Sulphur-flower Buckwheat in your morning pancakes (the food crop Buckwheat is another genus) but it is native to the western U.S. While it's not indigenous to New Mexico several varieties grow in Arizona, Utah and Colorado. The little plant in our front yard decided this was a good year to display it's namesake blooms.

More Info:

LED's for Nothing (almost) and Lumens for Free (not really)

Submitted by TimJFowler on Mon, 2012/06/11 - 4:19pm
in
AmbientLED bulb in lamp

If you live in New Mexico and are a customer of PNM - here's a deal for you. $10 off (at the register) two different Philips AmbientLED light models at New Mexico Home Depot stores. What's the catch? This discount is only available through July 31, 2012. If you buy the Philips 12-watt AmbientLED (60-watt replacement) soft-white light the price is below $5 per 'bulb' (before tax).

Why I Garden #24

Submitted by TimJFowler on Tue, 2012/06/05 - 1:09pm
in
Golden Columbine flowers

Golden Columbine is flowering in our yard. Columbine (species - Aquilegia) are high-altitude perennials native to the Northern Hemisphere. Golden Columbine is indigenous to the Southwestern U.S. and is growing well around our house.

More Info:

Golden Columbine, Aquilegia chrysantha

Paint It White

Submitted by TimJFowler on Thu, 2012/05/31 - 3:36pm
in
White Rooftops Bermuda

Summer is nearly upon us in the Northern Hemisphere and for city dwellers and suburbanites (like my family) summer brings the 'Heat Island Effect'. The sub/urban Heat Island is the result of acres of black-tar roofs and dark asphalt absorbing solar energy during the day and radiating that heat out late into the night. It turns out there is a simple way to turn off the Heat Island - Paint it White.

Why I Garden #23

Submitted by TimJFowler on Wed, 2012/05/23 - 10:34am
in
Jupiter's Beard in bloom

Jupiter's Beard blooming in the front yard. This perennial shrub is naturalized in the American Southwest (a native to the Mediterranean) and has grown slowly, but steadily, since we planted it.

More Info:

Wikipedia - Jupiter's Beard, Red Valerian, Centranthus ruber

Syndicate content